Bangladesh war crimes trial: Death row convict refuses to seek mercy

Dhaka: Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami leader and war criminal Abdul Quader Mollah has refused to seek presidential clemency after the Supreme Court on Thursday rejected his petition to review the death sentence awarded to him. Mollah conveyed his decision to the jail authorities after being asked whether he would want to seek presidential mercy, The Daily Star reported. The Jamaat’s assistant secretary general was sentenced to death for crimes against humanity in the 1971 Liberation War. Earlier in the day, a five-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Md. Muzammel Hossain passed the order, clearing the way for the execution. [caption id=“attachment_1284275” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Protests over the war crimes trial in Bangladesh. Agencies.[/caption] The ruling means that Mollah can be sent to the gallows anytime soon as the death sentence remains valid. “The government has fulfilled its obligation by sending executive magistrate twice to ask him whether he wants to seek presidential mercy,” Attorney General Mahbubey Alam told the Daily Star. The attorney general added that on both occasions, Mollah refrained from saying anything in this regard. “Still, he can seek mercy now,” he said. Earlier, after the Supreme Court delivered its verdict, Mollah’s chief defence counsel Abdur Razzaq said: “Let us receive the full verdict. He can’t be executed until the release of the full verdict. And we have time until Dec 23 for filing mercy petition as per jail code.” Meanwhile, the court order has reached the home ministry and the International Crimes Tribunal, as also the Dhaka Central Jail, where the Islamist leader has been kept. IANS